Abdullah Mehsud
| place_of_death = Balochistan, Pakistan | detained_at = Guantanamo | id_number = 92 | group = Taliban | alias = Said Mohammed Alim Shah, Noor Alam (birth name) | charge = no charge, held in extrajudicial detention | penalty = | status = released, allegedly "returned to the battlefield", allegedly KIA | occupation = | spouse = | parents = | children = }} Abdullah Mehsud ( ) ( ) (1974 – July 24, 2007) was a member of the Mahsud tribe in South Waziristan, and a Pashtun militant commander who killed himself with a hand grenade after security forces raided his dwelling in Zhob, Balochistan, Pakistan. American authorities later claimed that he had originally been a prisoner in the Guantanamo bay detainment camps, who was judicially released and subsequently "returned to the battlefield". Early life Abdullah Mehsud (Muhammad Alam Mahsud) was born in early 1974 in Nano village of South Waziristan, and was a member of the Mehsud clan Saleemi Khel in South Waziristan. Abdullah Mehsud fought against the Northern Alliance and lost a leg to a landmine in 1996.Pakistani Taliban commander Abdullah Mehsud killed during raid - The Long War Journal Capture During the opening days of Operation Enduring Freedom, Mehsud fought against U.S. and Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan. In December 2001, he surrendered to the Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum in the Battle of Kunduz.South Asia Tribune, Pakistan Army pays more than half million dollars to al-Qaeda in bizarre deal, February 10, 2005 He was handed over to the U.S. and spent 25 months in Guantanamo Bay detention camp, where he was fitted with a prosthetic limb.Pakistani Officers: Gitmo Detainees Abuse Guards He was released by the U.S. and returned to South Waziristan. Return to the battlefield After his release, Mehsud immediately begin rebuilding his Taliban cadre. He commanded a force of up to 5,000 Taliban fighters. He then began initiating attacks on Coalition soldiers in Afghanistan. In Waziristan, Mehsud was believed to be behind the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers from the building of the Gomal Zam Dam, which left one hostage dead during a botched rescue attempt. He was also alleged to have been behind an attack on Pakistan's Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao that killed 31 people. In March 2005 a Department of Defense document claimed : In 2005, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced that Mehsud had been killed by ISI forces, only to later retract the statement. Mehsud was one of the first three former Guantanamo captives the Bush Presidency reported had returned to the battlefield. As of July 2007 spokesmen reported that over thirty captives had returned to the battlefield, or associated with terrorists, after their release. As of July 2007 the spokesmen had named seven of those individuals. Promise to never surrender Sikh Spectrum reports that, during a telephone interview in 2004, Abdullah Mehsud promised to never surrender. Death On 24 July 2007, Mehsud was at a house with other militants in Zhob, Balochistan. A team of law enforcement agencies conducted a raid on the house where he was staying. Mehsud killed himself by detonating a hand grenade. During the raid, several other militants were killed and his brothers, Abdul Rahman Mehsud and Muhammad Azam, were captured along with a local Taliban leader.Abdul Rahman Mehsud and Muhammad Azam Relationship with Baitullah Mehsud Abdullah Mehsud has been described as a leader of Baitullah Mehsud, a tribal leader of the Waziri Mehsud tribe. Other sources merely assert that they were clansmen, or associates. Islam Online reports that Baitullah suspected that Abdullah was a double agent. Defense Intelligence Agency claims he "returned to terrorism" The Defense Intelligence Agency asserted Abdullah Mahsud had "returned to terrorism". mirror The DIA reported: References External links * Pakistan Army Pays More Than Half Million Dollars to Al Qaeda in Bizarre Deal, South Asia Tribune, 10 February 2005 Category:1974 births Category:2007 deaths Category:Politicians who committed suicide Category:Taliban members Category:Guantanamo detainees known to have been released Category:Suicides in Pakistan Category:Pashtun people Category:Suicides by explosive device fr:Abdullah Mehsud no:Abdullah Mehsud pl:Abdullah Mehsud